Male Semi-Truck Driver Killed In
Rollover Crash On County Road Incident Number: 05KY008
Photograph of county road where a semi-tractor trailer left the pavement and turned over. Grade
is steeper than it appears in this photo.
Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center
333 Waller Avenue
Suite 206
Lexington, Kentucky 40504
Phone: 859-323-2981
Fax: 859-257-3909
www.kiprc.uky.edu
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Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
Incident Number: 05KY008
Release Date: February 15, 2008
Subject: Male Semi-Truck Driver Killed In Rollover Crash
On County Road
Summary
Early in the morning during the winter of 2005, a 31-year-old male semi-truck driver died when
the semi-tractor trailer he was driving left the roadway and rolled over into a ditch. He had just
picked up a load of raw lumber from a lumber yard and pulled out of the gate onto a county road
and driven about a mile when the incident occurred. His destination was a lumber mill
approximately 150 miles away. He was driving on a straight stretch of the road when the right
tires left the pavement and dropped onto the sloped grassy area next to the road. There was
evidence the driver attempted to correct the tractor trailer and return it to the pavement.
However, the ground was wet and the slope was steep. The tractor trailer hit a tree and rolled
over onto a fence. There were no witnesses to the incident. Emergency medical services were
contacted. Upon arrival, they found the driver on the inside of the roof of the overturned, upside
down cab without vital signs. The local coroner was contacted who arrived and declared the
driver dead at the scene. He had not worn his seatbelt. Toxicology results showed
acetaminophen, Doxylamine, and Dextromethorphan (cold medications) were in his system at
the time of death.
To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have been
made:
Recommendation No. 1: Commercial vehicle carriers should implement and enforce a
workplace policy that requires drivers to wear seat belts while operating a commercial vehicle.
Recommendation No. 2: Employers should implement and enforce a policy that prohibits
commercial drivers who are ill or taking over-the-counter medications with potential side effects
for impaired driving from operating a commercial vehicle.
Recommendation No. 3: Commercial vehicles should be in compliance with Department of
Transportation regulations.
Recommendation No. 4: Companies should provide professional training for company truck
drivers.
Recommendation No. 5: County roadways in Kentucky should be designed and constructed with
an adequate shoulder area, or have guardrails that will deter commercial vehicle drivers from
leaving the roadway.
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Recommendation No. 6: Transportation companies should consider equipping semis with global
positioning satellite systems.
Background
The company the decedent was employed by was registered as an intrastate non-hazmat hauler
that transported logs, poles, beams, and lumber. Including the owner, the company employed
three individuals, and had been in business for approximately 4 years. The driver had worked for
the company for approximately one year hauling loads of lumber and logs at least three times a
week depending upon demand. When he hauled logs, depending upon the distance from the
pickup point to the destination, he would make up to three trips a day. On days when he hauled
lumber, he would make one trip if the destinations were further away. The driver always
operated the same semi tractor, but hauled different trailers depending upon what he would be
hauling that day. Primarily, he operated the routes from his residence; keeping the semi and
trailers there. This reduced the driving distance and time on his routes. He hauled five days a
week for the company. Previously, he had worked for another company for two years where he
learned to drive a semi.
The owner discussed safety every day with his employees. Topics covered included procedures
on how to safely load and unload lumber and logs, and what roadways to avoid. For instance,
the driver had been instructed numerous times not to drive the road on which the incident
occurred since it was only 18 feet wide. He had been instructed to take a wider, two lane road
from the lumber yard to the highway. However, the driver preferred to drive the smaller road as
it was a shorter distance from the lumber yard to the main highway.
Temperatures on the day of the incident ranged from 36 degrees Fahrenheit to 46 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Investigation
At approximately 7:45 AM one winter morning, a semi-tractor trailer driver who had a valid
commercial driver license drove away from a lumber yard with approximately 12 – 15 tons of
green lumber. He drove out of the lumber yard, turned northbound onto a wet 18 feet wide
county road paved with asphalt. He drove to a stop sign where he had been instructed by his
employer to turn left onto a two lane road toward a state highway. Instead, he drove straight on
the narrow road which was a shortcut to the state highway. According to the police report, the
speed limit was 55 miles per hour. His destination was 150 miles away and would have taken
approximately 3 hours. It was the only load he was scheduled to pickup and deliver that day.
After traveling for approximately one mile, the tires on the right side of the trailer dropped off
the pavement. The roadway was straight and did not have paved shoulders on either side.
Instead, the ground dropped off at a steep slope and according to the police report, was saturated
with water. There was evidence that the driver attempted to correct the trailer and return it to the
pavement but could not due to the saturated ground and the weight of the lumber. The tractor
trailer struck a tree then overturned onto a fence. There were no witnesses to the crash.
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Emergency medical services were called to the scene at 7:51 AM by an unknown caller. They
arrived at 8:00 AM and found the driver in the overturned cab of the semi; he had not been
wearing a seatbelt. State police were contacted at 7:59 AM and an officer arrived at 8:25 AM
and secured the scene. Emergency dispatch contacted the local coroner at 8:20 AM who arrived
and declared the driver dead at the scene. Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement arrived and conducted
a safety inspection of the semi tractor-trailer and found that the semi tractor did not have current
proof of an annual inspection and the depth tread on the left outside tire on the second axle was
below the 2/32 inch required by law. The tractor had 6 tires, and the trailer had two axles with
eight tires. Kentucky State Police conducted an inspection of the cab and roadway. Containers
suggesting the driver had probably consumed over-the-counter cold medications were found.
Used tissues were also found in the cab. Toxicology results detected Acetaminophen (11 mg/l),
Doxylamine (0.2 mg/l), and Dextromethorphan were present in the driver’s system at the time of
the incident. The police report cited overcorrecting/oversteering as human factors contributing
to the collision. The roadway was opened for traffic at 11:02 AM.
Cause of Death
The death certificate states the cause of death was due to blunt force injury to the head due to
motor vehicle collision.
Recommendations and Discussions
Recommendation No. 1: Commercial vehicle carriers should implement and enforce a
workplace policy that requires drivers to wear seat belts while operating a commercial vehicle.
Kentucky and Federal laws both require commercial drivers to wear seat belts when operating a
commercial vehicle. Kentucky Revised Statute 189.125(6) requires drivers and all passengers to
be restrained by properly adjusted and fastened seatbelts. 49 Code of Federal Regulations
§392.16-Use of seat belts, states that a commercial vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt, and the
driver must properly restrain himself/herself with the seatbelt. To help employers develop and
institute a seatbelt training program, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration developed
the “Commercial Vehicle Safety Belt Program”. A manual, “Increasing Safety Belt Use in Your
Company” is available to help companies develop a seatbelt usage program and is available at
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/safety-belt/increasing-safetybelt-usage-manual.htm.
Recommendation No. 2: Employers should implement and enforce a policy that prohibits
commercial drivers who are ill or taking over-the-counter medications with potential side effects
for impaired driving from operating a commercial vehicle.
When law enforcement searched the cab of the semi, they found evidence that the driver had
taken over-the-counter medication to help alleviate symptoms of a cold and used tissues.
Toxicology results showed acetaminophen, Doxylamine and Dextromethorphan were detected in
his system at the time of the crash. Each drug can cause impaired driving. 49 Code of Federal
Regulations §392.3 addresses ill or fatigued commercial drivers and states that a company cannot
require or permit a driver to operate a motor vehicle while the driver's ability or alertness is so
impaired, or so likely to become impaired, through fatigue, illness, or any other cause, as to
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make it unsafe for him/her to begin or continue to operate the commercial motor vehicle. (KY
FACE Report 05KY074).
Recommendation No. 3: Commercial vehicles should be in compliance with Department of
Transportation regulations.
It was found upon inspection by the Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement Division that the semi
tractor did not have current proof of an annual inspection. 49 CFR 396.17 addresses periodic
inspection of commercial vehicles and the requirements of companies to be in compliance with
the law. Also, the tread depth on the left outside tire on the second axle was below the 2/32 inch
as required by law. 49 CFR 393.75 tires gives direction on proper tire inflation, tread depth,
load limits, etc.
Recommendation No. 4: Companies should provide professional training for company truck
drivers.
According to the driver’s employer, the driver had learned to drive a semi while previously
employed at a different company. It was unknown by the employer if the driver’s training had
been on-the-job training or by a professional driving company. Company truck drivers should
receive formal professional driver training. This training should include defensive driving
techniques, driving in adverse weather and road conditions, as well as driving with the general
motoring public. Defensive driving techniques would include looking eight to ten seconds
ahead of the truck, and how to drive on narrow roadways without shoulders (KY FACE Report
05KY089).
Recommendation No. 5: County roadways in Kentucky should be designed and constructed
with an adequate shoulder area, or have guardrails that will deter commercial vehicle drivers
from leaving the roadway.
The roadway involved in this incident was an old railroad bed turned into a county road which
had been gravel until the county upgraded the surface to asphalt. It was 18 feet wide. Sections
of the roadway’s edge met with level ground. However, there was a steep embankment by the
edge of the roadway where this incident occurred. This made it difficult for the driver to correct
the semi-tractor trailer when the right tires slipped off the pavement. A guardrail or a few feet of
shoulder may have helped the driver recover the errant vehicle.
Recommendation No. 6: Transportation companies should consider equipping semis with
global positioning satellite systems.
The roadway the driver chose to drive was a shortcut to the highway and was not suitable for
semi tractor trailers to travel on. Even after having been instructed by his employer not to drive
on that particular road because it was too narrow for a semi, he continued to take this shortcut.
Global positioning satellite devices can aid commercial drivers on different routes available to
them and help them avoid roadways that are not suitable for semi travel. Also, employers can
utilize GPS devices to track tractors and trailers along delivery routes. Employers can verify that
drivers are using roadways intended for semis and not taking unsafe shortcuts on narrow roads.
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Keywords
Global positioning system
GPS
Semi-truck
Trailer
Wet roadway
References
1) Kentucky Revised Statute 189.125(6) Kentucky Seat Belt Law:
http://home.windstream.net/jtrector/seatbelt.htm
2) 49 Code of Federal Regulations §392.16 Use of seat belts: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-
regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.asp?section=392.16
3) United States Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,
Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Program: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-
security/safety-belt/increasing-safetybelt-usage-manual.htm
4) 49 Code of Federal Regulations §392.3 Ill or fatigued commercial drivers:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-
regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.asp?section=392.3
5) Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program Report, “Long Haul Trucker
Dies After Striking an Embankment at the End of an Interstate Highway Off-Ramp”, Incident
Number: 05KY074
6) 49 Code of Federal Regulations §396.17 Periodic inspection:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-
regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.asp?rule_toc=765§ion=396.17§ion_t
oc=1956
7) 49 Code of Federal Regulations §393.75 Tires: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-
regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.asp?section=393.75
8) Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program Report, “Passenger Dies
When Semi Hits Cow In Roadway”, Incident Number: 05KY089
Acknowledgements
Business Owner
Kentucky State Police
Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement
Local Coroner
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Local Road Department
The Kentucky Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Program (FACE) is funded by a grant
from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Safety and Health. The
purpose of FACE is to aid in the research and prevention of occupational fatalities by evaluating
events leading to, during, and after a work related fatality. Recommendations are made to help
employers and employees to have a safer work environment. For more information about FACE
and KIPRC, please visit our website at: www.kiprc.uky.edu
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Red arrow shows the approximate location where the semi-tractor trailer went off the roadway
and overturned.